And it's just the beginning of the annual awards parade. I've been thinking about how we might go about acknowledging the standout games of 2009 here on Shacknews. A big part of that will come from all of you. There have already been several threads talking about the candidates and I'm open to suggestions on how best to cull that down to a consensus. To compliment that I also am working on a plan for how the staff gets incorporated into the mix -- or maybe has something that goes alongside. However it works out it's been a great year and one that deserves plenty of recognition.

Back to the here and now, these stories also merit some love:

• Once it was the CD game to have. Now Myst can be had digitally on Good Old Games
• Get a metal communicator insignia badge with Star Trek Online Collector's Edition
• Games for Windows Live adding on demand distribution service
• Max Payne 3 Delayed
• Saboteur DLC adds adult content including nudity for paying 360 and PS3 customers
• Win a trip to the Indy 500 by playing the Gran Turismo 'Time Trial' demo

Fellow professional golfer Jesper Parnevik who introduced Elin Nordegren to Tiger says I would probably apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time..."

The yuletide season finds a couple community Christmas Trees not quite living up to expectations. In the UK Sacriston residents have called their 4' tree a disgrace. While back here in Northern California, Concord admits its tree is a "Charlie Brown"

Cool to see a star standing up for what's right: Alyson Hannigan dismisses a Buffy remake without Joss as a mistake